Apr 22, 2014

When my friend Peter brought this over from Canada I looked at the label and did a few guffaws about it. I mean, c'mon, it's Tom Green approved, y'know. Not really the first person you would think of when it comes to having his name pinned to a craft beer.
"Tom Green? The guy who was married to Drew Barrymore for a couple months?" I asked.

"Yes, the same."

"The same Tom Green who had that asshole from Jackyl come on his TV show and take a chainsaw to his desk"

"Of course."

The questions went on like this for a few minutes.

Thinking of the only other "celebrity approved beer" I've had, Kid Rock's BAD ASS, as well as Tom's brand of humor, all I could muster in my mind before opening it "Man, I dunno. Milk Stout or not this could be one really goofy ass stuff."

Made by Beau's All Natural Brewing Company out of Vankleek Hill, Ontario the brew pours mahogany color with ruby illumination when held to light. It's bubbly one finger head comes on strong at first then fades quickly into a slight cap that leaves a blowing snow drift lacing behind.

On the nose there are the scents of cocoa, hazelnut and malted milk balls. Though the aromas don't come off overtly strong and/or complex it does smell roasty and rich.

Thoughts of a chocolate milkshake is what comes to mind first initial sip. It's quite milk chocolatey up front, followed by good bit of lactose sugars sweetness and then flits of dark roasted coffee and toast hanging around the edges. The brew has creamy texture in the mouth but the mild carbonation breaks up a bit which gives it a effervescent vibe. Hops poke their way though in the backbone adding a touch of bitters that gives it some bite and dryness in the finish.

Though I can only sit through about 10 minutes tops of Tom Green in most situation I could totally sit through and sip on another glass or two of this beer. One of the best milk stout's I've ever had? Nah. It is pretty decent though none the less.

Apr 12, 2014

High tension wires start to snap. They hit the ground a caustic slime to ooze up through the dirt.
Electronics surge causing a blinding blue light that makes eyeballs pop out and then explode. Contraptions go haywire tearing the limbs from their operators.
With a cranium crushing pummel of martial and murderous drums, a molten roar of guitars hopped up on electrical shocks and thirty for blood while a shredded vocal chords garble incantations of disgust and vileness Austin, Tx. band Burnt Skull provide the soundtrack if such is the fate for the planet's final days. Featuring members of Total Abuse, Cruddy and Best Fwiends the band deal harsh waves of sound akin to Godflesh hopped up on bathtub crank pushing lawnmowers over the hills of hells acres and Big Black taking band saws to 100 guitars wallowing in feedback. The relentless noise may vary from track to track but it all will cause toxic sludge to bubble up through the soil that eats away brain matter at first whiff and encourages rats dwelled in the darkness of the most poisonous of gutters and trash strewn alleys to come out into the light and spread vermin to those who that they were safe.
In it's wake all that is left for evidence is scorched earth splattered in blood and caked in guts.http://12xu.net

Apr 7, 2014

Let's talk a little bit about Country Rock.
When I say country rock I don't mean the assembly line Wal-Mart shopping "Rockin' Country" bullshit that name checks Merle Haggard or Johnny Cash in the lyrics but has more in common with the Little River Band or Foreigner than any sense of country traditions much less rock AND roll that is all over commercial country radio these days either.
I am talking something much more loose. Much more scraggly. Much more smelling like dirt, pollen, sweat and a fish fry. Something that maybe isn't dressed like a farmer but also isn't dudded up in embroidered jeans and a backwards designer baseball cap. Something can be rough and tumble when I wants to be or yearning when it feels like but I both cases sounds like it's for real and not gone through some market analysis flow chart to spell such feelings out to the lower common denominator.

Bands with folks that look more like the stoners that hang a beat up old Bondo buggy at the flea market or beach and not male models on their way Planet Fitness at the mall.
Hailing from Nashville Natural Child are Country Rock. As we all know Nashville is the place where people go to get discovered to become country music stars but it also the place where the bullshit "Rockin' Country" assembly line works day and night to kill the sound that made people want to go there in the first place.
While their previous releases entertained ideas such as "What if Neil Young's cocaine booger from The Last Waltz traveled back from '78 and wrote and recorded every album from Harvest to Zuma instead of Neil (and, of course Crazy Horse) himself" or "Waylon Jennings listening to Alex Chilton" there has been something that has had the listener thinking that the band was sincere about what they were doing. But, there was also an underlying smart ass nod and wink thing happening that may have had some thinking just how sincere. On Dancin' With Wolves, with the adding of a pedal steel and piano player into the official band line up, and the songs sounding, dare I say it, slightly more cultivated and composed-Natural Child show they've been dead level about it all along.
The down home dose of laid back southern funky stuff of the album's opener, the "Out In The Country", the small late night jazz combo tinged "Bailando Con Lobos" and the soulful Hammond organ that blurs the line between Saturday night and Sunday morning laden "I'm Gonna Try" sound as if they could've been plucked from a Capricorn Records jam session circa '73.
Others like "Don't The Time Pass Quickly" where a hell raising hayseed takes a day off from kicking up some dust to roll around in the hay with his gal, the 3rd album era Velvet Underground sitting on the porch of the general store vibe of "Firewater Liquor" and "Saturday Night Blues" good time seeking a bits of rambunctious hick rockin'. The weed smoke gets thick down the backroads on "Country Hippie Blues" and shot glasses in honky tonk clink while people wonder once again if Hank would of done it this way for "Rounder." http://naturalchildband.blogspot.com

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